Orders over $75 ship free using a mix of UPS Ground and SurePost. Your order will arrive within 2-7 days, depending on your vicinity to Minneapolis. Place your order by 3:30 PM CST Monday through Friday and we'll ship it the same day. This offer is only available to the contiguous US. USPS shipments do not qualify for free shipping.

Fast flat-rate shipping $4.99

Select our $4.99 flat-rate shipping option, and your order will arrive to your door within 3 business days or less in the contiguous US. Place your order by 3:30 PM CST Monday through Friday and we'll ship it the same day. See map below for transit times.

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Quick Overview

Easy to use, setup and maintain. Perfect for utilizing GFO and Carbon in the aquarium. No annoying thumb screws and leaky lids like other reactors. BRS recommends a Cobalt Aquatics MJ 1200 pump to operate this reactor. Sold separately or packaged with the pump. Choose a different pump depending on mounting height and amount of media used.

Easy to use, setup and maintain. Perfect for utilizing GFO and Carbon in the aquarium. No annoying thumb screws and leaky lids like other reactors. BRS recommends a Cobalt Aquatics MJ 1200 pump to operate this reactor. Sold separately or packaged with the pump. Choose a different pump depending on mounting height and amount of media used.More

BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Single

The BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor features several distinct advantages over other brands.

BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Single

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Free economy shipping over $75

Orders over $75 ship free using a mix of UPS Ground and SurePost. Your order will arrive within 2-7 days, depending on your vicinity to Minneapolis. Place your order by 3:30 PM CST Monday through Friday and we'll ship it the same day. This offer is only available to the contiguous US. USPS shipments do not qualify for free shipping.

Fast flat-rate shipping $4.99

Select our $4.99 flat-rate shipping option, and your order will arrive to your door within 3 business days or less in the contiguous US. Place your order by 3:30 PM CST Monday through Friday and we'll ship it the same day. See map below for transit times.

GoodBy Tonyon 7/27/2015

Tony would recommend this product to a friend

Good quality of the reactor!! Quite and small pump!! Works great

Good reactor and great priceBy JTon 7/11/2015

JT would recommend this product to a friend

This is a great reactor for the price. It's compares favorable to reactors costing more then double the cost. The rotating john guest fittings make setup easy and it comes with pretty much all the parts you need to make it work.

Must haveBy kyleon 7/7/2015

kyle would recommend this product to a friend

Easy setup. Runs great

Great setupBy Roseon 7/6/2015

Rose would recommend this product to a friend

This design allows for a TON of flexibility. Pump is of good quality and the reactor canister is well built. I highly recommend!

Quality Reactor Works Great.By RGon 6/18/2015

RG would recommend this product to a friend

I use it to tumble about a cup of Purigen @ 30gph. I made some minor mods using Sea Chem's The Bag and it works great.

Well put together, easy to useBy Andrewon 6/12/2015

Andrew would recommend this product to a friend

This is a very easy piece of equipment to use. The tubes running from the pump to the reactor and back to the tank are on the stiffer side, so you'll need to cut them for your specific space. There's plenty of length on them though, and they're so easy to connect through the push fittings.

It really didn't take much time to get it going and get my GFO tumbling at the right rate. I was worried about how much of a difference running the GFO in the reactor vs passively through a bag would benefit me and if it was worth the additional cost. But so far I would definitely say so. I'm only running half the dose of GFO so far, and the use of my mag float on my glass is really spread out now, so there's that.

Quality UnitBy discus daveon 6/12/2015

discus dave would recommend this product to a friend

I installed this on my 125 gallon discus tank. It was a simple installation that took all of 5 minutes to complete. Water was crystal clear overnight.

5 stars hands downBy troyon 5/27/2015

troy would recommend this product to a friend

Cheap,good,quality and works as expected

bought a second oneBy black350on 5/18/2015

black350 would recommend this product to a friend

these are the best in the market i have seen so far.

good product for the moneyBy Rickon 5/10/2015

Rick would recommend this product to a friend

I like it it works well the flow at the bottom could be more even but for the price its a good product

Easy to useBy Davidon 5/7/2015

David would recommend this product to a friend

Bought this unit with with the MJ1200. This style of canister is rugged. Unit was easy to assemble and to install. Cut the tubes short, so the unit could be placed in the sump. Easy to add GFO and set the flow to fluidize the GFO media. Running the output through a filter sock as stated in the video. Unit is quiet, no leaks, and I saw an immediate drop in my phosphate level.

Quality PeiceBy Herbieon 5/5/2015

Herbie would recommend this product to a friend

I got this the other day, and it feels very well made and with the package that includes pump, it was a breeze to setup. this is my very first tank also!

how much total combined media will single reactor hold carbon & gfo together...

Question by: eric on Sep 12, 2013 10:26:00 AM

Hey Eric,
The max capacity for the reactor would be a total of 3 cups of media if it doesn't need to tumble (like carbon/gfo mix). If you were actually maxing out the reactor though you might want to consider a larger pump then the standard mj1200.

If I use a carbon reactor in my sump, will i need to continue using the carbon in filter bags in the sump basket? I assume the answer is no, but by removing the media bags, not all of the water of the water will be filtered through carbon before returning to the display.

Also, do I place both the intake and output hoses of the reactor in the same sump chamber? Or should the outflow go directly into the last chamber with the main return pump?

Question by: Noah on Apr 29, 2014 11:43:00 AM

Hi Noah,
No need to run carbon in a bag when your using a reactor. The idea isn't to run all of the water through the carbon in each pass (which largely isn't happening now either as you will get things like channeling with a bag). When it comes to which chambers of the sump, most people return to the same chamber as you don't have to worry about creating odd siphoning issues but largely its just a matter of convenience. Your cycling the water from the tank over and over again so its not a big deal :-)

Hi Geoff,
It has a capacity of 2 cups of GFO or 3 cups of carbon. How big of a tank that works for really depends on what specific media you plan to run. What type of GFO or carbon were you planning to use in the reactor?

Hi Stephan,
Really just about any pump in the 300gph range will do the trick, the Cobalt MJ1200 just happens to be any easy fit. The only pump I would avoid is the marineland maxijet 1200, as they are quiet loud when used for this purpose.

I would like to run this and a dual reactor off of a Y valve coming from my return pump. My return line is 1" schedule 80 PVC. I would like it to split off right after the anti-siphon valve, with one side of the Y going toward my reactors, and the other side as a return to the tank. My reactors use the normal 1/2" flexible tubing supplied with the reactors.

What adapters would I need to facilitate that connection? I know I will need a 1" PVC Y valve, but from there, I need something to knock down 1" PVC to a 1/2 flexible push connector. I can split that Y again for the 2 reactors. Help?

In the video series of how to start a saltwater tank they use some elbows not included to help hold the plumbing in the tank for us that don't have sumps. I was wondering what pieces they were exactly and where/what hardware store it was gotten from? I checked my local Lowes and had no luck finding similar parts.

what size tubing comes with the single reactor and can it be replaced with a more pliable tubing. I purchased one of these units and had trouble bending the tubing into the location I wanted, it is quite ridged and tough to bend.

Question by: Todd on May 14, 2014 5:17:00 PM

Hi Todd,
It is 1/2" RO tubing. More can be found at the link below. Honestly it wouldn't really be worth it to try and adapt to a different type of tubing as you would basically have to rebuild the whole filter. I would suggest just using a push connect elbow if you need to go around a corner, that way you also won't have any issues with kinking.

How do I run both GFO & Carbon in the same reactor? (not mixed). Any sort of divider in the middle to be used?

Question by: Navdeep on Jun 10, 2014 6:45:00 PM

Hey there,
If you are going to use them both in the same reactor but not mixed, you would use a sponge pad as a divider. That said though, if you aren't going to mix them you may be better off with a dual reactor which will make it much easier to change the media.

Hey Matt,
Its not a problem to mount the reactor behind the tank or something to that effect as well. It doesn't hang on back, but so long as you have somewhere to put it, its not problem at all to use it on a tank without a sump.

When changing the filter media in th BRS media reactor, what are the steps that need to be taken? I was conserned about getting water everywhere when unscrewing the lid of the reactor to change out media. Thank you BRS!

Question by: Landon on Oct 2, 2013 5:30:00 AM

Hey Landon,
Changing the media is actually really easy. You just want to make sure that the pump is off and then you unscrew the bottom canister. While you might spill a few drops if your careful almost all of the water will stay in the bottom canister and you can carry the canister media and water to the sink to drain it and replace the media. You can leave the main bracket mounted, the pump in the tank, etc.

What is the difference between this one and the brs biopellet reactor? Can I use this one to run biopelletes?

Question by: Xing on Jan 26, 2014 1:54:00 AM

The biopellet reactor doesn't have sponges and comes with fittings to adapt to larger size pumps (which are generally necessary with biopellet reactors). This reactor will physically hold them but wouldn't come with the fittings for larger size pumps.

Will this hang on the back of my DT? If not can you recommend a quality HOB model and pump?

Question by: Kevin on Sep 9, 2013 1:37:00 PM

Hey Kevin,
The BRS reactor does not hang on the back. Units that hang on the back aren't as common, the phosban reactor is the model most folks will use in that situation. The same cobalt mj1200 is a great pump option for it as well.

Is this the same as the one for use with bio pellets? Just with foam pads, or is the cartridge different?

Question by: Daniel on Nov 7, 2013 5:31:00 AM

Hey Daniel,
The biopellet reactor doesn't have foam pads and it also includes fittings for a larger pump (bigger pump is needed for biopellets) wheras the gfo/carbon reactor only comes with an adapter for the cobalt pumps.

how much total combined media will single reactor hold carbon & gfo together...

Question by: eric on Sep 12, 2013 10:26:00 AM

Hey Eric,
The max capacity for the reactor would be a total of 3 cups of media if it doesn't need to tumble (like carbon/gfo mix). If you were actually maxing out the reactor though you might want to consider a larger pump then the standard mj1200.

If I use a carbon reactor in my sump, will i need to continue using the carbon in filter bags in the sump basket? I assume the answer is no, but by removing the media bags, not all of the water of the water will be filtered through carbon before returning to the display.

Also, do I place both the intake and output hoses of the reactor in the same sump chamber? Or should the outflow go directly into the last chamber with the main return pump?

Question by: Noah on Apr 29, 2014 11:43:00 AM

Hi Noah,
No need to run carbon in a bag when your using a reactor. The idea isn't to run all of the water through the carbon in each pass (which largely isn't happening now either as you will get things like channeling with a bag). When it comes to which chambers of the sump, most people return to the same chamber as you don't have to worry about creating odd siphoning issues but largely its just a matter of convenience. Your cycling the water from the tank over and over again so its not a big deal :-)

Hi Geoff,
It has a capacity of 2 cups of GFO or 3 cups of carbon. How big of a tank that works for really depends on what specific media you plan to run. What type of GFO or carbon were you planning to use in the reactor?

Hi Stephan,
Really just about any pump in the 300gph range will do the trick, the Cobalt MJ1200 just happens to be any easy fit. The only pump I would avoid is the marineland maxijet 1200, as they are quiet loud when used for this purpose.

I would like to run this and a dual reactor off of a Y valve coming from my return pump. My return line is 1" schedule 80 PVC. I would like it to split off right after the anti-siphon valve, with one side of the Y going toward my reactors, and the other side as a return to the tank. My reactors use the normal 1/2" flexible tubing supplied with the reactors.

What adapters would I need to facilitate that connection? I know I will need a 1" PVC Y valve, but from there, I need something to knock down 1" PVC to a 1/2 flexible push connector. I can split that Y again for the 2 reactors. Help?

In the video series of how to start a saltwater tank they use some elbows not included to help hold the plumbing in the tank for us that don't have sumps. I was wondering what pieces they were exactly and where/what hardware store it was gotten from? I checked my local Lowes and had no luck finding similar parts.

what size tubing comes with the single reactor and can it be replaced with a more pliable tubing. I purchased one of these units and had trouble bending the tubing into the location I wanted, it is quite ridged and tough to bend.

Question by: Todd on May 14, 2014 5:17:00 PM

Hi Todd,
It is 1/2" RO tubing. More can be found at the link below. Honestly it wouldn't really be worth it to try and adapt to a different type of tubing as you would basically have to rebuild the whole filter. I would suggest just using a push connect elbow if you need to go around a corner, that way you also won't have any issues with kinking.

How do I run both GFO & Carbon in the same reactor? (not mixed). Any sort of divider in the middle to be used?

Question by: Navdeep on Jun 10, 2014 6:45:00 PM

Hey there,
If you are going to use them both in the same reactor but not mixed, you would use a sponge pad as a divider. That said though, if you aren't going to mix them you may be better off with a dual reactor which will make it much easier to change the media.

Hey Matt,
Its not a problem to mount the reactor behind the tank or something to that effect as well. It doesn't hang on back, but so long as you have somewhere to put it, its not problem at all to use it on a tank without a sump.

When changing the filter media in th BRS media reactor, what are the steps that need to be taken? I was conserned about getting water everywhere when unscrewing the lid of the reactor to change out media. Thank you BRS!

Question by: Landon on Oct 2, 2013 5:30:00 AM

Hey Landon,
Changing the media is actually really easy. You just want to make sure that the pump is off and then you unscrew the bottom canister. While you might spill a few drops if your careful almost all of the water will stay in the bottom canister and you can carry the canister media and water to the sink to drain it and replace the media. You can leave the main bracket mounted, the pump in the tank, etc.

What is the difference between this one and the brs biopellet reactor? Can I use this one to run biopelletes?

Question by: Xing on Jan 26, 2014 1:54:00 AM

The biopellet reactor doesn't have sponges and comes with fittings to adapt to larger size pumps (which are generally necessary with biopellet reactors). This reactor will physically hold them but wouldn't come with the fittings for larger size pumps.

Will this hang on the back of my DT? If not can you recommend a quality HOB model and pump?

Question by: Kevin on Sep 9, 2013 1:37:00 PM

Hey Kevin,
The BRS reactor does not hang on the back. Units that hang on the back aren't as common, the phosban reactor is the model most folks will use in that situation. The same cobalt mj1200 is a great pump option for it as well.

Is this the same as the one for use with bio pellets? Just with foam pads, or is the cartridge different?

Question by: Daniel on Nov 7, 2013 5:31:00 AM

Hey Daniel,
The biopellet reactor doesn't have foam pads and it also includes fittings for a larger pump (bigger pump is needed for biopellets) wheras the gfo/carbon reactor only comes with an adapter for the cobalt pumps.

Reviews

GoodBy Tonyon 7/27/2015

Tony would recommend this product to a friend

Good quality of the reactor!! Quite and small pump!! Works great

Good reactor and great priceBy JTon 7/11/2015

JT would recommend this product to a friend

This is a great reactor for the price. It's compares favorable to reactors costing more then double the cost. The rotating john guest fittings make setup easy and it comes with pretty much all the parts you need to make it work.

Must haveBy kyleon 7/7/2015

kyle would recommend this product to a friend

Easy setup. Runs great

Great setupBy Roseon 7/6/2015

Rose would recommend this product to a friend

This design allows for a TON of flexibility. Pump is of good quality and the reactor canister is well built. I highly recommend!

Quality Reactor Works Great.By RGon 6/18/2015

RG would recommend this product to a friend

I use it to tumble about a cup of Purigen @ 30gph. I made some minor mods using Sea Chem's The Bag and it works great.

Well put together, easy to useBy Andrewon 6/12/2015

Andrew would recommend this product to a friend

This is a very easy piece of equipment to use. The tubes running from the pump to the reactor and back to the tank are on the stiffer side, so you'll need to cut them for your specific space. There's plenty of length on them though, and they're so easy to connect through the push fittings.

It really didn't take much time to get it going and get my GFO tumbling at the right rate. I was worried about how much of a difference running the GFO in the reactor vs passively through a bag would benefit me and if it was worth the additional cost. But so far I would definitely say so. I'm only running half the dose of GFO so far, and the use of my mag float on my glass is really spread out now, so there's that.

Quality UnitBy discus daveon 6/12/2015

discus dave would recommend this product to a friend

I installed this on my 125 gallon discus tank. It was a simple installation that took all of 5 minutes to complete. Water was crystal clear overnight.

5 stars hands downBy troyon 5/27/2015

troy would recommend this product to a friend

Cheap,good,quality and works as expected

bought a second oneBy black350on 5/18/2015

black350 would recommend this product to a friend

these are the best in the market i have seen so far.

good product for the moneyBy Rickon 5/10/2015

Rick would recommend this product to a friend

I like it it works well the flow at the bottom could be more even but for the price its a good product

Easy to useBy Davidon 5/7/2015

David would recommend this product to a friend

Bought this unit with with the MJ1200. This style of canister is rugged. Unit was easy to assemble and to install. Cut the tubes short, so the unit could be placed in the sump. Easy to add GFO and set the flow to fluidize the GFO media. Running the output through a filter sock as stated in the video. Unit is quiet, no leaks, and I saw an immediate drop in my phosphate level.

Quality PeiceBy Herbieon 5/5/2015

Herbie would recommend this product to a friend

I got this the other day, and it feels very well made and with the package that includes pump, it was a breeze to setup. this is my very first tank also!

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